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“What is it, love?” he asked, his eyes glinting in amusement… “Does that book interest you? Feel free to borrow it. It’s a much more entertaining read than Godwin.”

Amusement! Was he laughing at her just like William? Her reaction must seem childish to him. Prudish. He was much more experienced, so perhaps her naïveté was amusing.

What would he say if he knew his supposedly well-bred wife had read literature like this while still a young girl? That she’d liked what she read? That she’d enjoyed herself?

The shadow in her psyche grew stronger, darker.

Whore…

“No,” she said, walking away from his nightstand like it was a nest full of snakes. “That won’t be necessary.”

When she walked past him, he caught her hand and turned her, gently bringing her to him. “What is it? You’re quite distraught.”

She couldn’t look away from him. Her heart beat so fast against her ribs, but not with excitement and anticipation like before. Even though there was no trace of his former amusement, she couldn’t shake the shadow that that book and that smirk on his face had brought to life.

“I’m fine,” she said.

He studied her with a frown. “Are you concerned about what is going to happen between us?”

Concerned? She was ready to flee to another country.

She hated William. God, how she hated him. He had tainted her with one word, with one look, with one movement of his fingers for the rest of her life.

She could tell it all to Nathaniel. The kindness in his eyes, his genuine concern told her he might understand. Might not judge her, after all. A wife and a husband should be open with each other, love each other, respect each other—like her parents had.

Only, a man like Nathaniel would never understand someone like her. They were too different, like cats and dogs. Like bright yellow irises and the deep blue sea. He was a rake. She was a bluestocking.

That was who she should remain for him. Well-bred, smart, independent.

Not vulnerable and weak. Not a woman with a dirty secret.

When she said nothing, he gently brushed his knuckles down her cheek and looked at her lips like they were a delicious meal he ached to taste.

“I know you must be,” he said. “Your first time. I promise you, you’ll love it.”

She’d love it… Oh, how she wanted to believe him.

“I wanted you from the moment I saw you,” he murmured as he drew her closer to him, wrapping his strong, hard arms around her. “From that damned Royal Navy ball when you were so breathtaking, your intelligent eyes cutting into me like a knife through butter. And I loved it.”

She couldn’t muster a word. What could one say when one was completely mesmerized?

“And now, you’re finally mine,” he whispered and lowered his mouth to hers.

The moment his lips brushed against hers was like the sun colliding with the earth. The floor shifted under her feet as heat went through her with bone-melting power. She closed her eyes, softening into the exquisite feel of his lips, inhaling his manly musk—the scent of herbs and that cologne that was fresh like the wind flapping in the sail of a ship at sea.

The scent alone was enough to have her fingers clutch the fabric of his coat and tug him closer. She heard him inhale deeply and press into her, his arms strong around her. He brushed his tongue against her lower lip, and she shivered from sheer delight. Heavens, this was nothing like in the book—it was so, so much better.

A real kiss.

She opened her mouth and let him in. Oh Lord, the sensual, decadent touch sent a jolt of heat right into the apex of her thighs, sending a delicious shiver through her. He brushed against her tongue again and again, and she echoed his actions. Their lips mingled and played and came together, and she never wanted it to end.

He released one arm from behind her waist and cupped her jaw, his palm large, calloused, and warm, urging a rush of tingles through her skin.

As his lips and tongue explored her, his hand went down her neck, bringing that warmth down her body until…

Until his fingers found the exact spot on the right side of her neck, at the dip between her neck and her collarbone where William had so painfully pinched her. Branded her forever.

Nathaniel’s touch was nothing but a gentle caress.